HGTV’s “Selling New York” follows CORE agents as they navigate the country’s most competitive—and compelling—real estate market. Here’s our behind-the-scenes look at Episode #413, which first aired on January 26, 2012. For more SNY recaps, click here.

CORE's Parul Brahmbhatt (center), flanked by Steampunk devotees.

In “Press Worthy Properties,” CORE agent Parul Brahmbhatt faced an unusual challenge in this week’s episode: How to market a New York City property with bizarre elements such as a green submarine door and a 32-foot model zeppelin suspended over the kitchen? Yep, we’re talking about the Steampunk-inspired loft at 120 West 29th Street. With a homeowner determined to sell the quirky apartment “as-is,” Parul’s goal was to find a buyer that would preserve the property’s unique character. The episode began with Parul and CEO Shaun Osher discussing a pricing strategy. While the owner expected over $2 million as a listing price, Parul and Shaun knew that wasn’t feasibile with such a buyer-specific property. It was essential to price slightly lower and generate interest from a larger pool of property hunters. After a conversation with the homeowner, a listing price of $1.75 million seemed ideal.

Next came finding the right strategy to market the property. After extensive research and a visit with Steampunk expert Joey Marsocci, Parul concluded that the best way to bring the property to market was to throw a Steampunk-style open house. In the end, Parul’s creative marketing approach and out-of-the-box thinking paid off, resulting in an overwhelmingly positive response from fellow brokers, potential buyers and the press. Keep on reading for some exclusive behind-the-scenes information about what didn’t make it into last night’s episode of “Selling New York” and what happened after the cameras stopped rolling!

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“Steampunk fandom heats up”
CBS News “Sunday Morning” (10/30)
Comedian Mo Rocca got an inside look at “Steampunk” culture on the long-running TV news show, including a tour of the fantastically decorated loft at 120 West 29th Street (right), listed by CORE’s Parul Brahmbhatt.

“Buying up domain names in order to turn a profit”
The Real Deal (11/1)
CORE CEO Shaun Osher commented on the practice of real estate companies buying up Internet domains to direct more web traffic their way.

Dream Homes
New York Post (11/3)
The Post did a little bit of salivating over CORE broker Stuart Sussman’s four-bedroom, 4 1/2-bathroom, 3,579-square-foot penthouse listing in Chelsea’s Yves building, which is asking $10.4 million.

“Chelsea Housing Gets Google Lift”
Wall Street Journal (11/4)
CORE’s 305W16 development was highlighted as one of the new residential buildings contributing to a post-Google housing boom in Chelsea. Read more: The Real Deal, Betabeat

“Psst, Seller: Your Stove Is Showing Its Age”
New York Times (11/6)
In the weekend’s Real Estate section cover story, veteran CORE broker Michael Garr talked about the benefits of sellers renovating their homes when putting them on the market.

Photos by Ian Reid for CORE.

If you build it, they will come. And in the case of the loft at 120 West 29th Street, “they” means the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, The Real Deal, Curbed, Steampunk aficionado Dr. Grymm and a decked-out group of his faithful devotees. Following last week’s launch party, one of NYC’s most unique apartments is now one of NYC’s most famous apartments. And since the event was being filmed for HGTV’s Selling New York, this retro-futuristic fantasy pad (yep, the color-changing zeppelin is included in the $1.75 million price) may soon be sweeping the nation.

See CORE’s Shaun Osher, Parul Brahmbhatt and a host of well-dressed characters plucked straight from a sci-fi flick in the photos below, and check out CORE’s Facebook page for more.

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Even in seen-it-all New York, submarine doors, antique pulleys and large Technicolor zeppelins are not what we would call standard apartment décor, which is why the one new CORE listing sure to catch everyone’s eye is the second-floor apartment at 120 West 29th Street. And we’re showing it off!

This unique Chelsea 2-bed/2-bath co-op listed by Parul Brahmbhatt is such an attention-grabber that the New York Post and Curbed NY discovered it mere moments after it launched on the CORE website. Curbed loved the “neon steampunk aesthetic,” and for those scratching their heads, “steampunk” refers to the blending of 19th century Victorian style with modern gadgetry and science-fiction elements. Steampunk has spawned an entire sub-genre of fashion and art, and what better venue to showcase some of those creations than 120 West 29th Street? Dr. Grymm has already RSVP’d, but please note, there is limited dirigible parking available on West 29th Street.